Posts Tagged ‘PHI’

Health care providers, health plans, and other entities covered under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) will soon be required to notify individuals in the event their unsecured personal health information (PHI) is breached. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) published an interim final rule with comment period Aug. 24 providing new regulations regarding the HIPAA notice of breach requirements. Read more »

Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced Aug. 3 that the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) is the new authority for the administration and enforcement of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) Security Rule.

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An Ohio Supreme Court ruling has many physicians wondering whether physician-patient confidentiality rights are in jeopardy.

The high court ruled that family physician William Schlotterer, DO, had to disclose his patients′ medical records to Medical Mutual of Ohio for investigational purposes because his patients consented to release them when they signed on for coverage, according to a July 6 report posted on Amednews.com.

The court said Medical Mutual’s probe into whether the doctor received proper reimbursement fell within the claims review process, and found the patient′s consent broad enough to authorize the release of any related records.

Amednews.com has the rest of the story.

A hacker replaced a Virginia government Web site last week with a ransom note claiming he’d stolen 8.3 million patients’ personal and prescription drug information and wants $10 million for its return.

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The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) seeks your input on final guidelines regulating the handling of unsecured protected health information (PHI) breaches by May 21. The rules are mandated by the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act. Read more »

The Mayo Clinic recently joined the growing number of providers, facilities, payers, and internet providers keeping and managing personal medical records on the internet. Advocates for Web-based personal health records (PHR) say the technology is more cost-effective and reduces medical errors.

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A Long Island mother and son are charged with stealing patient information in New York and Florida and using that information to get credit cards. Some alleged victims were deceased.

The mother, who worked in a physician’s office and had access to personal health information, and her son, a painter, are charged with three counts of second-degree identity theft, first-degree scheming to defraud, third-degree assault, and fourth-degree crminal possession of a weapon. Read more »